It is known to provide alkaline detergent compositions containing synthetic detergent compounds with a builder system comprising a mixture of an alkali metal tripolyphosphate and an alkali metal orthophosphate. Thus, detergent compositions comprising mixed phosphate builders systems based on mixed tripolyphosphate and orthophosphate have been disclosed in British Pat. No. 1,530,799. These compositions comprise from 5% to 30% of a synthetic anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic detergent compound or a mixture thereof, and from 10% to 30% of mixed alkalimetal tripolyphosphate and alkalimetal orthophosphate in the ratio of from 10:1 to 1:5 parts by weight, wherein the amount of alkalimetal tripolyphosphate is at least 5%, and the amount of any alkalimetal pyrophosphate is not more than 5%, all these percentages being by weight of the total detergent composition, and the pH of a 0.1% aqueous solution of the composition is from 9 to 11.
It is also known to provide alkaline detergent compositions with an activated peroxygen bleach system comprising a mixture of a peroxygen bleach compound together with an activator therefor. Thus, British Pat. No. 1,398,785 discloses a composition in which the bleaching system comprises a mixture of, for example, sodium perborate and tetraacetylglycoluril.